This colorful account is a richly researched, dramatic, enthralling look thatportrays the Color red as a driving force in history and Empire since ancienttimes.
A Perfect Red evokes with style and verve this history of a grand obsession, of intrigue, empire, and adventure in pursuit of the most desirable Color on earth..
As the English, French, Dutch, and other Europeans joined the chase for cochineal -- a chase that lasted for more than three centuries -- a tale of pirates, explorers, alchemists, scientists, and spies unfolds.
Soon Spain\'s cochineal monopoly was worth a fortune.
Shipped to Europe, the dye created a sensation, producing the brightest, strongest red the world had ever seen.
In the sixteenth century, one of the world\'s most precious commodities was cochineal, a legendary red dye treasured by the ancient Mexicans and sold in the great Aztec marketplaces, where it attracted the attention of the Spanish conquistadors. 8-page Color insert.
This colorful account is a richly researched, dramatic, enthralling look thatportrays the Color red as a driving force in history and Empire since ancienttimes
